The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea, botanically known as Rhododendron hybrida, an evergreen greenhouse-forcing type of Azalea, and hereinafter referred to by the name `Amulet`.
The new Azalea is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Azalea varieties having uniform plant habit, profuse and uniform flowering, dark green foliage, good foliage retention during the cooling and forcing periods, resistance to Cylindrocladium, and excellent postproduction longevity. The new Azalea originated from a cross made by the Inventor in March, 1992, in Salinas, Calif., of the cultivar `Prize`, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,795, as the female, or seed, parent with the cultivar `Alice Holland`, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent.
The new Azalea was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., in August, 1994. The selection of this plant was based on its semi-double to double flower form, dark purple flower color, very large flower size, uniform flowering response, improved foliage retention, and excellent postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Azalea by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Azalea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.